Month: June 2016

Some Nature Made products are being recalled because of possible salmonella or staphylococcus aureus contamination risk.

Pharmavite LLC is recalling certain lots of Nature Made products out of caution to protect public health, according to a statement. The company is working with the FDA to implement the retail and is notifying retail customers and distributors to remove the certain products from store shelves immediately, according to the announcement.

Some of the products, with lot numbers listed below, include Nature Made Adult Gummies Multi; Nature Made Adult Gummies Multi Plus Omega 3; Nature Made Adult Gummies Multi for Her plus Omega-3s; Nature Made Super B Complex w/C and Folic Acid Tablets.

The names, number in bottle, lot number and UPC codes of these include:
Nature Made® Adult Gummies Multi 90 1196066 0-31604-02841-1
150 1196071 0-31604-04172-4
150 1205052 0-31604-04172-4
Nature Made® Adult Gummies Multi + Omega-3 150 1173600 0-31604-04173-1
Nature Made® Adult Gummies Multi for Her plus Omega-3s 100 1196048 0-31604-04236-3
150 1196050 0-31604-04275-2
Nature Made® Super B Complex w/C & Folic Acid Tablets 140 1173779 0-31604-02727-8
460 1170987 0-31604-02728-5
460 1204735 0-31604-02728-5
360 1173146 0-31604-02729-2
360 1204001 0-31604-02729-2
Products that fall within the lots indicated should not be consumed, the company stated. Consumers are encouraged to return the affected products to their retailer for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST at 1-800-276-2878.

The recall was initiated when it was found that certain tests for salmonella and staph were not performed on the products, according to the company.

For more information, visit http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm505706.htm.

by Bryan Thompson, KHI News Service

Health officials say about 30 children in Saline County have elevated levels of lead in their blood.

Jason Tiller, director of the Saline County Health Department, said more cases could be discovered as public awareness of the health threat grows.

Tiller said the problem surfaced after several families had their children’s blood tested for lead at their family doctor’s office and at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. According to Tiller, no patterns have been revealed so far to suggest how the children might have been exposed to lead.

Lead was added to most paint until the practice was banned in 1978. As a result, lead paint in older homes is the most common source of lead exposure, but there are many others, including lead in plumbing, some imported candy and dust.

For almost 40 years, lead acid batteries have been produced at a large manufacturing plant on the south side of Salina. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Emissions Inventory, the Exide Technologies plant emitted almost 3,000 pounds of lead into the air in 2011. That’s the most recent year lead emissions were listed in the report.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has begun an investigation of how the children were exposed to lead. KDHE spokesman Ashton Rucker said it will be “an expansive investigation.”

“KDHE is looking into a variety of possible scenarios and causes that could lead to lead exposure and elevated blood lead levels. Once the investigation has been concluded, the agency will have a clearer idea regarding the source(s) linked to elevated blood lead levels,” Rucker said via email.

KDHE has scheduled a public information session about the investigation at 6:30 p.m. June 21 at the Salina Community Theatre.

Anyone with more than 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood is considered at risk. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no safe level of lead in the blood of children.

Lead exposure can affect nearly every system in the body. Even at low levels, it affects IQ, academic performance and the ability to pay attention. The CDC says there are often no obvious symptoms, and there is no way to correct lead’s health effects.

The nonprofit KHI News Service is an editorially independent initiative of the Kansas Health Institute and a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor reporting collaboration. All stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to KHI.org when a story is reposted online.

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